The
calls
come
as
the
country
joins
the
rest
of
the
world
in
marking
World
Wetlands
Day
under
the
theme “Wetlands
and
traditional
knowledge:
Celebrating
cultural
heritage.” The
day
highlights
the
role
of
indigenous
practices
in
sustaining
wetlands
and
safeguarding
cultural
identity.
The
Zimbabwe
Environmental
Law
Organisation
(ZELO)
said
conservation
initiatives
that
sideline
local
communities
were
failing.
“ZELO
joins
the
global
commemoration
by
calling
for
greater
integration
of
communities
in
conserving
these
vital
ecosystems,
reflecting
the
organisation’s
people-centred
and
inclusive
values,”
the
organisation
said
in
a
statement.
It
added
that
traditional
knowledge
systems
and
the
active
participation
of
communities
were
essential
to
effective
wetland
conservation,
and
that
incorporating
such
knowledge
into
national
and
global
monitoring
frameworks
would
improve
understanding
of
ecosystem
change
and
enable
meaningful
involvement
of
indigenous
peoples.
ZELO
said
wetlands
across
cultures
are
cultural
landscapes
embedded
in
identity,
art
and
spirituality,
but
rapid
social
and
economic
change
has
threatened
their
preservation.
“Significant
declines
have
been
recorded
in
Latin
America,
the
Caribbean
and
Africa,
while
degradation
has
also
increased
in
Europe,
North
America
and
Oceania,”
the
organisation
said.
It
warned
that
wetlands
continue
to
disappear
faster
than
they
are
being
restored,
citing
the
Global
Wetland
Outlook
2025,
which
shows
that
rates
of
degradation
vary
by
region
and
over
time,
driven
largely
by
development
and
land-use
change.
Wetlands
play
a
critical
role
in
water
supply,
biodiversity
conservation,
climate
resilience
and
food
security,
particularly
for
rural
and
peri-urban
communities
that
depend
on
them
for
livelihoods.
However,
rapid
economic
development
has
pushed
construction,
agriculture
and
mining
into
protected
wetland
areas,
often
with
limited
consideration
of
long-term
environmental
impacts.
“Despite
policy
commitments,
wetland
integrity
remains
threatened
by
encroachment
from
agriculture,
mining
and
urban
development,”
ZELO
said.
In
Harare
alone,
an
estimated
3,717
hectares
of
wetlands,
about
16%
of
the
city’s
total,
have
been
affected
by
construction.
The
organisation
said
embedding
cultural
values
and
traditions
into
wetland
management
remains
one
of
the
most
effective
ways
to
achieve
good
ecological
conditions.
It
urged
government
and
development
partners
to
invest
in
community-led
wetland
restoration
projects,
particularly
in
areas
affected
by
mining,
agriculture
and
urban
expansion,
while
safeguarding
cultural
heritage
and
local
livelihoods.
ZELO
also
called
for
wetland
management
to
be
integrated
into
national
and
local
land-use
planning,
including
stricter
enforcement
of
Environmental
Impact
Assessments
and
a
ban
on
destructive
activities
in
wetlands
and
their
buffer
zones.
Zimbabwe
recognises
wetlands
as
central
to
biodiversity
protection,
water
regulation
and
climate
resilience
under
National
Development
Strategy
1
and
has
pledged
to
strengthen
protection
measures
under
NDS
2.
Wetland
protection
is
also
anchored
in
Section
73
of
the
Constitution
and
the
Environmental
Management
Act.
The
country
currently
holds
the
Ramsar
Conference
of
the
Parties
presidency
for
the
2025–2028
triennium,
placing
it
at
the
centre
of
global
wetland
governance.
Zimbabwe
has
committed
to
restoring
250,000
hectares
of
degraded
land
and
designating
five
new
Ramsar
sites
by
2030.
“This
offers
an
opportunity
to
lead
in
conserving
pristine
wetlands
and
rehabilitating
degraded
ones,”
ZELO
said.